vision2020@moscow.com: Re: You need to read this Virus Info!!!
Re: You need to read this Virus Info!!!
Mike Mahaffy (mikem@mail.arch.wsu.edu)
Mon, 26 Jan 1998 08:30:03 -0800
Sam Scripter wrote:
>
> Saturday, 1-28-98
>
> John Teeter, I hope you read this and can answer my question. Or maybe
> someone else on the list knows.
>
> I get so tired of these mass virus warnings that go around, that are flukes,
> that are false.
>
> But they always get me worried that maybe there is something new that I
> don't know. They raise enough doubt in my mind that I have to ask.
>
> That below asserts that by reading one's mail a "Trojan horse" virus will be
> introduced into the boot sector of one's hard drive, and wipe it out.
>
> I thought that was not possible, just by reading one's mail!!!???
>
> But what if the "mail" is a MS Word file, attached, and one opens the Word
> file attachment, and it contains whatever a Word virus is called?
>
> Can someone with expertise resolve my concern?
>
> Thank you in advance ....
>
> MoscowSam
> scripter@uidaho.edu
>
> >>> WARNING!!!!! WARNING!!!!! WARNING!!!!! WARNING!!!!! WARNING!!!!!
> >>>
> >>> If you receive an e-mail titled "JOIN THE CREW" DO NOT
> >>> OPEN IT! It will erase EVERYTHING on your hard drive. Send this
> >>> letter out to as many people you can....this is a new virus and not
> >>> many people know about it.
> >>>
> >>> This information was received this morning from an employee from
> IBM,
> >>> and should be shared with anyone that might access the internet.
> >>>
> >>> Also, if anyone received mail entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!" delete it
> >>> WITHOUT reading it. This is a warning for all internet users. This
> is
> >>>
> >>> a dangerous virus propagating across the internet through e-mail
> >>> message. DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY MESSAGES CALLED "PENPAL GREETINGS!".
> >>>
> >>> This message appears to be a friendly letter asking you if you are
> >>> interested in a penpal, but by the time you read this letter, it is
> >>> too late. The trojan horse virus will have already infected the
> boot
> >>> sector of your hard drive, destroying all of the data present. It
> is
> >>> a self-replicating virus, and once the message is read, it will
> >>> automatically forward itself to anyone's e-mail address present in
> >>> YOUR mailbox.
> >>>
> >>> This virus will DESTROY your hard drive and holds potential to
> destroy
> >>>
> >>> the hard drive of anyone else in your in-box and who's mail is in
> >>> their in-box and so on. If this virus keeps getting passed along,
> it
> >>> has the potential to do a great deal of damage to computer networks
> >>> worldwide!
> >>>
> >>> DELETE the message entitled "PENPAL GREETINGS!" as soon as you see
> it
> >>> and pass it along to your friends, relatives, and other readers of
> the
> >>>
> >>> newsgroups and mailing lists which you are on so that they are not
> >>> hurt by the virus. This virus IS A NEW VIRUS that has started going
> >>> around in the last couple of days. DO NOT OPEN or even look at any
> >>> mail that you get that says - "Returned or Unable to Deliver". This
> >>> virus will attach itself to our computer components and render them
> >>> useless. Immediately delete any mail items that says this.
> >>>
> >>> AOL has said this is a very dangerous virus, and there is NO remedy
> >>> for it at this time. This message should be forwarded to every
> single
> >>>
> >>> person you know.
To my knowledge, limited I will admit, this is not very likely. The
'virus' would need to be platform (UNIX, PC, MAC etc.) specific and be
able to mount the boot sector directly from the mail.
The only 'Trojan Horse' is that your email mail box gets filled up with
this kind of JUNK MAIL and then it gets passed around to others, who
in-turn pass it on...
...you get the point.
Please keep in mind however that whenever you receive ANY attachment it
is ALWAYS a good idea to scan for bugs etc. before you save them to your
hard drive.
Lots of things are possible but not a bug/virus that 'eats' your hard
drive.
Happy computing,
Mike...............
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